Around the Sun

Jacy Sheldon Is Making Noise Quietly—On Defense

By Anthony Price 

Jacy Sheldon, #4, plays defense. Photo: Clay Johnson

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​In a WNBA era dominated by billion-dollar media rights deals and headline-making stars like Caitlin Clark, A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart, Jacy Sheldon is easy to overlook.  
 
The Connecticut Sun’s second-year guard was the fifth overall pick in the 2024 draft, but playing in obscurity in Uncasville, Connecticut, means there are no bright lights or national hype. Still, Sheldon isn’t fazed. 

​A Dublin, Ohio native and former Ohio State University basketball standout, she’s carving out her role the hard way—on defense, possession by possession. While others chase spotlight plays, Sheldon is making her mark in the shadows, letting her play on the court speak louder than words. 

More Than Statistics 
 
With nearly a third of the season in the books, and despite the Connecticut Sun being in last place in the league at 2-12, just behind the Dallas Wings, 3-12, who traded her in the offseason, Jacy Sheldon is turning heads.
 
She is averaging 7.5 points, 1.4 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game, but her value goes well beyond the box score. Her jump shot is smooth and reliable, with a high arch and ball spin that finds its way into the bottom of the net. She has scored in double figures in five of the last seven games, including a season high of 15 points against the Washington Mystics on June 8th.

Jacy Sheldon watches the action in the paint. Photo: Clay Johnson

But what she lacks in size, she makes up for with relentless midwestern grit. 

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At 5-foot-10 and 140 pounds, Sheldon doesn’t tower over her competition, and she doesn’t have the experience of some of the league’s more physical veterans. But what she lacks in size, she makes up for with relentless midwestern grit. 
 
Her toughness is most evident on defense. Night after night, she hounds opposing guards the full length of the court, picking them up in the backcourt and harassing them all 94 feet, taking precious seconds off the 24-second shot clock. She fights through screens, dives for loose balls, and isn’t afraid to end up on the floor. 
 
It’s beautiful to watch a young player take pride in defense—a thankless job in an era focused on offense. Dedicating oneself to defense in the WNBA takes commitment and a desire to be in the best physical shape. 

The Game Within the Game
 
Before the game against the Phoenix Mercury on Wednesday, Sheldon was asked what it takes to guard a player for 94 feet. she laughed. “Being in shape,” she said with a grin. “Honestly, just working your butt off. That’s what I try to do when picking up these guards full court.”  
 
It’s more than effort—it’s strategy. Her goal is to frustrate opposing guards. “Nobody wants to be picked up that early. It’s just the extra energy you have to exert in the game,” says Sheldon. It’s a mind game—the game within the game.  

She gets her competitiveness from her family. Her dad coached her when she was younger. The word that best describes her is competitor. “I just like to go out there and compete on both ends of the floor,” she said. “Compete for my teammates and make them better while I’m out there, too.”  

Nobody wants to be picked up that early. It’s just the extra energy you have to exert in the game.

​Teammates Take Notice
 
Before the Phoenix Mercury game at Mohegan Sun Arena, veteran guard Bria Hartley described Sheldon as a “tenacious defender.” Hartley called her energy and motor “really, really cool.” 
 
Ahead of Friday's Wings game, which the Sun would lose 86-83, their fifth defeat in a row, seven-year veteran Marina Mabrey talked to this reporter about Sheldon. 
 
“She brings a big energy,” Mabrey said. “She plays super hard. She has a love for the game that I haven’t seen in a while. It’s refreshing. And she is a baller—she can shoot, she can get to the rim, she’s quick, she’s feisty.”  
 
Mabrey also talked about Sheldon’s work ethic behind the scenes. “She’s in elite shape. She’s always in the weight room with us after the game. She’s trying to get bigger,” Mabrey said. “She’s a great athlete—that goes under the radar a lot. People don’t really see how great an athlete Jacy is.”  

Jacy Sheldon shoots a jump shot. Photo: Clay Johnson

Olivia Nelson-Ododa, the Sun’s graceful 6-foot-5  center in her fourth year out of the University of Connecticut, echoed the praise. 
 
Nelson-Ododa admires Sheldon’s poise. “I think you know what you’re going to get from Jacy, night in and night out—her hustle and her effort,“ Nelson-Ododa said. “She came into training camp ready to do that [pick players up full court]. She plays super hard.” 

No Surrender 
Jacy Sheldon doesn’t back down—not even from the WNBA’s biggest star.
In the June 17 matchup against the Indiana Fever, Sheldon was matched up against Caitlin Clark and guarding her tightly when she accidentally poked Clark in the eye. Clark shoved her. Sheldon shoved back. Then Marina Mabrey stepped in, pushing Clark to the floor.

The Indiana crowd erupted.

Clark received a technical foul as did the Sun’s Mabrey and Tina Charles. After review, Sheldon’s foul on Clark was upgraded to a flagrant.
 
But the message was clear: Sheldon isn’t giving an inch—not even to the league’s top superstar. 
 
With under a minute in the fourth quarter, Sheldon drove to the basket with only Indiana’s Sophia Cunningham in her way. Cunningham wrapped her arms around Sheldon’s shoulders and neck, dragging her to the floor. A scuffle broke out. 

Jacy is not going to stand down to anything or anybody.

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​It appeared Cunningham was retaliating for Sheldon’s earlier foul on Clark. Sheldon, Cunningham and Sun guard Lindsay Allen were all ejected from the game. 
 
“Jacy is not going to stand down to anything or anybody,” said Mabrey after the game. “She’s a great teammate, a great person.”  
 
Sheldon took it all in stride. “This league is physical and I think no one is trying to foul on defense,” she said. “I think it happens sometimes because of how good these guards are and how physical this game is.”
 
And what about the heat of the moment? “It’s what makes it fun,” she said, grinning as if she’d drawn it up herself. 

Jacy Sheldon contests the jump shoot. Photo: Clay Johnson

Not Backing Down
 
Wins matter—but for Jacy Sheldon, so does the fight.
 
She’s not giving up, even in a season filled with losses. Every game, every matchup, every hard-fought possession is shaping her into a better, tougher, smarter player.
 
She’s committed to outworking the competition, night after night—making life difficult for anyone who lines up across from her. And if things get physical? Sheldon won’t flinch.
 
“She just has to keep believing in herself and be bolder and bolder every game,” said Marina Mabrey.

Sheldon already is. And she’s just getting started.

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Anthony Price is an entrepreneur, author and publisher of CT Hoops Magazine. Around the Sun is a weekly column about the Connecticut Sun. ​​